India defeated Pakistan in the Asian Games 2026 men’s T20 gold medal match on October 3 to retain their title. The Men in Blue produced a strong batting display after winning the toss and choosing to bat first at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. India posted 211/6 in 20 overs, with Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma scoring quick half-centuries.
Pakistan needed a strong start in the chase but struggled to keep up with the required run rate. Hasan Nawaz gave them hope with a brilliant 96 off 51 balls. However, India’s bowlers continued to take wickets at regular intervals. Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube picked up two wickets each as India completed a comprehensive victory and secured another Asian Games gold medal.
Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma lead India to gold
India made an explosive start after being asked to bat first. Abhishek Sharma once again showed his ability to score quickly in the powerplay. The left-hander smashed 61 runs from just 28 balls.
His innings included three fours and seven sixes. He scored at a strike rate of 217.85. His aggressive batting gave India the momentum they needed against Pakistan.
India continued to attack throughout the innings. Tilak Varma played another important role in the middle and late stages. He remained unbeaten on 51 from only 22 balls.
Tilak struck three fours and four sixes. He finished with a strike rate of 231.81. His unbeaten knock helped India cross the 200-run mark.
Tilak also shared a crucial 62-run partnership with Shivam Dube. The pair added the runs from only 30 balls. Their attacking approach ensured India finished with a huge total of 211/6.
Pakistan’s Ahmed Daniyal and Arafat Minhas were the standout bowlers for their side. Both players claimed two wickets each, but India’s scoring rate remained too high.
Pakistan needed 212 runs to win the gold medal. Hasan Nawaz produced the biggest individual performance of the chase. He smashed 96 runs from 51 balls and kept Pakistan’s hopes alive.
However, India kept taking wickets around him. The pressure eventually became too much for Pakistan. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar led the bowling attack with disciplined spells.
Axar finished with 2/29. He dismissed Maaz Sadaqat and Usman Khan. Washington also took two wickets for 29 runs. He removed Sahibzada Farhan and Abdul Samad.
Shivam Dube also claimed two wickets as India continued to break Pakistan’s momentum. The combined effort from India’s bowlers prevented Pakistan from completing the chase.
The final also produced several notable milestones. Hasan Nawaz and Saim Ayub added 87 runs, giving Pakistan their highest partnership against India in T20 cricket for any wicket. It was also the third-highest partnership in the fixture.
India’s 211/6 became the highest first-innings total in India-Pakistan T20Is.
Ishan Kishan also reached a major milestone during the calendar year. He became only the second Indian to score more than 1,000 runs in Men’s T20Is in a calendar year. He finished 2026 with 1,005 runs at a strike rate of 169.47.
Abhishek also added several records to his name. His seven sixes were the joint-most by a batter in an India-Pakistan T20I innings.
He has now hit 104 sixes in T20 cricket in 2026. That is the second-highest tally by an Indian batter in a calendar year, with Abhishek averaging a six every 6.43 balls.
He also reached 100 T20 sixes in a calendar year in just 651 balls, the second-fastest mark. Abhishek further reached 400 career T20 sixes in 3,513 balls, which is also the second-fastest.
India’s victory capped a dominant performance in the final and ensured they retained their Asian Games men’s T20 gold medal.
